My dear friend and penpal of nearly ten (!) years is publishing her first novel in June, and I am absolutely ecstatic for her! I wanted to do a little Q&A with her to celebrate her accomplishment + give you a chance to get to know her!
Tell us a little bit about yourself.
I'm passionate about words, authenticity, good books with surprising endings, as well as meeting new people. I also love long conversations, traveling and road trips, and basically I'll be your friend for life if you let me. I work part time at Panera Bread and write every day in between. I'm also super random and all over the place, so I am constantly jumping from topic to topic and say random things. I consider Jo March from Little Women basically me as a fictional character but Tolks from Harry Potter is hair goals.
Oh, and I wrote a book too. So I should probably add that in there too! ;) It's coming out June third and I'm super pumped!
I'm passionate about words, authenticity, good books with surprising endings, as well as meeting new people. I also love long conversations, traveling and road trips, and basically I'll be your friend for life if you let me. I work part time at Panera Bread and write every day in between. I'm also super random and all over the place, so I am constantly jumping from topic to topic and say random things. I consider Jo March from Little Women basically me as a fictional character but Tolks from Harry Potter is hair goals.
Oh, and I wrote a book too. So I should probably add that in there too! ;) It's coming out June third and I'm super pumped!
Tell us about your book, The Broken Prince.
The Broken Prince is basically my third fully completed novel that I have written and is the first I have ever published. Based in a fantasy world inspired by my love of Lord of the Rings and the Arthurian legend, the book focuses on two very different characters from two very different backgrounds. Milosh is the hated bastard prince of the country of Sindaleer. He has lived his life an outcast, his father being the hated king who took over the country and rules her with an iron fist.
Serena is a simple peasant who is hiding a dark secret: she is a Gifted and Marked, able to create fire with her hands. Using special Gifts is illegal, and Serena lives in fear every day for her and her younger brother.
Milosh and Serena are thrown together in a twist of events, and together they have to learn to defeat the coming darkness or allow the labels given to them at birth to define their choices.
The Broken Prince is basically my third fully completed novel that I have written and is the first I have ever published. Based in a fantasy world inspired by my love of Lord of the Rings and the Arthurian legend, the book focuses on two very different characters from two very different backgrounds. Milosh is the hated bastard prince of the country of Sindaleer. He has lived his life an outcast, his father being the hated king who took over the country and rules her with an iron fist.
Serena is a simple peasant who is hiding a dark secret: she is a Gifted and Marked, able to create fire with her hands. Using special Gifts is illegal, and Serena lives in fear every day for her and her younger brother.
Milosh and Serena are thrown together in a twist of events, and together they have to learn to defeat the coming darkness or allow the labels given to them at birth to define their choices.
When did you start writing your novel?
I wrote my book around the age of sixteen while still in high school. It has gone through so many revisions and edits, but technically took six months to write. Now, only a few months before I turn twenty-one, I finally get to allow the world to read it. I'm a big terrified actually that these characters, who have been a part of me for so long, are going to be in your hands and not just my head anymore. EEK!
I wrote my book around the age of sixteen while still in high school. It has gone through so many revisions and edits, but technically took six months to write. Now, only a few months before I turn twenty-one, I finally get to allow the world to read it. I'm a big terrified actually that these characters, who have been a part of me for so long, are going to be in your hands and not just my head anymore. EEK!
How does your faith impact your writing?
My faith has been a HUGE part of my writing. I began to write because I loved it, because stories just kept coming. Now, I write not only because of that, but because I have seen the darkness as well as the light, and I want each soul to know that they are never alone and that there is a God who loves them (scars and all), deeply. The Broken Prince is a major result of this deep desire in my writing. God has impacted very area of my life and changed who I am completely and utterly. The funny thing is, seeing the first draft of my novel and the last is really incredible, because in a way it is an example of how far I've come mentally and spiritually. The first draft was so dark and broken with hardly any hope.
My faith has been a HUGE part of my writing. I began to write because I loved it, because stories just kept coming. Now, I write not only because of that, but because I have seen the darkness as well as the light, and I want each soul to know that they are never alone and that there is a God who loves them (scars and all), deeply. The Broken Prince is a major result of this deep desire in my writing. God has impacted very area of my life and changed who I am completely and utterly. The funny thing is, seeing the first draft of my novel and the last is really incredible, because in a way it is an example of how far I've come mentally and spiritually. The first draft was so dark and broken with hardly any hope.
How have your struggles with mental health influenced your writing?
Basically when I first wrote The Broken Prince, I was at a very dark place mentally. I related to Milosh's "demons," his battle with the darkness, and the labels slapped on him and Serena. I remember literally crying one day as I was in the first revisions because I couldn't figure out a decent ending. I remember just telling God, "How can I heal Milosh if I can't even find healing for myself?"
I owe so much to my younger sister, as she really listened to my rants and helped me come to terms with a lot in my life. The ending of this book is completely different from the first draft, and for that I am incredibly grateful. It really mirrors my growth and how I've learned to combat the darkness. I'm still a major work in progress, and I am by no means what you would call "completely healed," but we live in a fallen world. I don't expect complete healing to ever really happen. Not in this world anyway. But I am on the road to healing, and for that I am so happy.
Basically when I first wrote The Broken Prince, I was at a very dark place mentally. I related to Milosh's "demons," his battle with the darkness, and the labels slapped on him and Serena. I remember literally crying one day as I was in the first revisions because I couldn't figure out a decent ending. I remember just telling God, "How can I heal Milosh if I can't even find healing for myself?"
I owe so much to my younger sister, as she really listened to my rants and helped me come to terms with a lot in my life. The ending of this book is completely different from the first draft, and for that I am incredibly grateful. It really mirrors my growth and how I've learned to combat the darkness. I'm still a major work in progress, and I am by no means what you would call "completely healed," but we live in a fallen world. I don't expect complete healing to ever really happen. Not in this world anyway. But I am on the road to healing, and for that I am so happy.
What do you hope readers take away from your novel?
That they are never alone. I don't care what kind of hell they feel they are going through, they are never alone and they are loved deeply by a God who seems them as beautiful, and who does not see scars and wounds (both physical and mental) as something to be ashamed of.
That they are never alone. I don't care what kind of hell they feel they are going through, they are never alone and they are loved deeply by a God who seems them as beautiful, and who does not see scars and wounds (both physical and mental) as something to be ashamed of.
Any advice for aspiring writers?
"Write what you know, and write what you want to read" is the best advice I've ever heard from some favorite authors of mine. It really helped put my writing into perspective.
Thank you Kara for stopping by today!
"Write what you know, and write what you want to read" is the best advice I've ever heard from some favorite authors of mine. It really helped put my writing into perspective.
Thank you Kara for stopping by today!
You can check out Kara's blog here!
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